'Sons of Isaac' celebrates 90 years

Congregation has two Sunday school students, another in Hebrew school

Congregation has two Sunday school students, another in Hebrew school

September 23, 2007|By Angela Mettler, American News Writer

For 90 years, the Congregation B'Nai Isaac Synagogue in Aberdeen has provided a place for area Jews to practice their faith in a predominantly Christian region. Although many people who were once part of Aberdeen's Jewish community have moved away, their roots in the synagogue hold fast, said congregation member Bea Premack. The congregation is very small now, she said. Most services require 10 people to attend, but that quorum doesn't always occur, said congregation member Gail Pickus. The congregation has two Sunday school students and one in Hebrew school, Premack said. It hasn't had a rabbi since the mid-1970s; Premack's husband, Herschel, serves as lay leader. The congregation brings in a rabbi or cantor to perform holiday services, Premack said. She said the congregation holds study groups, weekly Sabbath services, social hours and dinners, and members are active in the community. Congregation B'Nai Isaac, which means “Sons of Isaac,” was officially incorporated on March 5, 1917. It bought the former Wesleyan Methodist Church at 202 S. Kline St. on Aug. 7, 1917, and established its synagogue there. Before the congregation became official, it met for worship services in a building on the corner of Fourth Avenue and South Main Street, Premack said. She said many people from smaller towns in the area - Leola, Eureka, Roscoe, Groton, Redfield, Ipswich - came to worship services. At its largest, the congregation consisted of 50 families in the 1930s, she said. History: Attempting to record people's memories of the synagogue is part of how the Aberdeen congregation will celebrate its 90th anniversary, she said. When Premack was a student at Northern State College (now university) in 1987, she wrote a paper on the history of Aberdeen's Jewish community through 1964 - the only recorded history of Congregation B'Nai Isaac. But she'd like to compile another history, remembering life at the synagogue and highlighting the life stories of people in the congregation and those who were somehow connected to Aberdeen's Jewish community. “We know that there are stories out there that we've sure missed,” she said. One such story involves three Jewish doctors working at the Public Health Service Indian Hospital in Eagle Butte during the Vietnam War. Premack said one of the doctors' families kept kosher, a biblically based diet. There was nowhere in Eagle Butte to buy kosher meat, so Premack's mother shipped kosher meat from Omaha, Neb., to Aberdeen, and a laundry truck took the meat from Aberdeen to Eagle Butte. Premack, who grew up in Omaha, and Pickus, a Chicago native, married Aberdeen men and came to town in the 1950s. They can remember a time when local Jews owned many major stores on Main Street, including Feinstein's Bootery and Ready To Wear and Pred's Coats. The women said the congregation used to sell cheesecake at Arts in the Park, have public brunches and rummage sales, participate in the Festival of Nations and put on Israeli style shows. Regional center: Despite the congregation's small size, the synagogue serves as a regional center for Judaism, Premack said. It is one of three synagogues in South Dakota; the others are in Sioux Falls and Rapid City. The synagogue attracts many visitors - people who are working temporarily in Aberdeen, have moved away and return for the holidays or are simply curious about the Jewish faith, Premack said. The synagogue held a reunion during Aberdeen Central High School's All-School Reunion in 2004. “It's a place for people to touch base,” Premack said. The congregation's connections with other synagogues and national Jewish organizations help it survive, she said. The congregation is affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism; the international men's organization B'Nai B'Rith, which means “Sons of the Covenant,” and Hadassah, a national women's Zionist organization. In addition, many members and former members feel strong ties to Aberdeen. “I think that Aberdeen is home,” she said. “The congregation has always been kind of like a family.” Herschel Premack said the congregation's feeling of continuity is strong. “People in Aberdeen have not let (the congregation) die,” he said.